Varent noticed the shift in her expression. "You speak like soone who’s seen that firsthand."
Adele’s fingers flexed faintly near the hilt of her sword.
For one dangerous second, mories threatened to resurface again.
Adele imdiately buried the thoughts.
"I simply pay attention. That’s all."
Varent nodded slowly.
The wind moved through the training yard again. Sowhere nearby, wolves shouted during combat drills.
Varent glanced toward her once more. "Your house carries enormous influence."
"So I’ve been told repeatedly." She replied flatly.
A dark glint flickered through Lord Varent’s eyes. "You say that like it burdens you."
"Everything burdens eventually."
That answer softened his expression unexpectedly.
Adele noticed imdiately and disliked it.
"I didn’t co only because of your father," Varent admitted after a while.
Adele arched a brow. "No?"
"No."
He slowed slightly beside her.
"I asked to see you because you’ve been gone from weeks, and it burdened ." Varent’s eyes held hers. "If we never beco mates, can we at least remain acquainted in the future?"
Adele stared at him blankly. Then unexpectedly, a quiet laugh escaped her. Her laugh ca out real this ti.
Varent looked almost victorious hearing it.
"You enjoy provoking ." she said through her laugh.
Adele shook her head slightly. "I don’t see how that would work, but you’re very confident about it."
"I’m wealthy." he shrugged lightly. Then he whispered. "It usually creates the illusion automatically."
.......
Aire’s chamber remained quiet long after Nate left.
She sat near the edge of the bed staring blankly at the window while the warmth he had left behind slowly disappeared from the room.
The blankets still carried his scent faintly, and she hated to part with him, and that annoyed her more than it should have.
Aire pulled the blanket tighter around herself anyway.
Outside her chamber doors, she could hear movent occasionally. The footsteps outside her wing passed too quickly.
Nobody lingered near her doors anymore, ad nobody wanted to. Her mates and King Elijah cleared her na last night but that diesnt an the wolves weren’t scared.
Aire lowered her gaze slowly toward her wrists. The red marks from the restraints remained a bit visible.
Nate had kissed then repeated earlier, and apologised around it.
Her chest tightened faintly.
The mory of silver around her wrists still felt wrong sohow. Her body itself rejected rembering it.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Aire did not answer yet the door still opened carefully afterward.
Madam stepped inside first.
Behind her ca two younger maids carrying folded dresses, warm water, and clean cloth.
The mont the maids saw Aire properly, both visibly stiffened.
Aire noticed their body language. One maid lowered her eyes so quickly she nearly stumbled over the carpet.
The second stayed close to Madam like she expected Aire to suddenly lose control and tear the room apart.
Aire looked away coldly.
Madam sighed softly beneath her breath before setting the basin down herself.
"You should clean up."
Aire gave no response.
Madam glanced toward the younger maids. "Set the clothes there."
The girls obeyed quickly.
Aire’s eyes shifted silently around the room afterward, searching for soone.
Madam noticed her eyes almost imdiately. "Michelle is not here."
Aire’s jaw tightened faintly.
Good.
Because right now, if Michelle walked into this room smiling softly again, Aire genuinely didn’t know what she would do.
The betrayal still sat like poison beneath her skin.
Every ti she rembered Michelle stepping back while the guards stord into her room, sothing ugly twisted painfully inside her chest.
Madam approached her slowly afterward.
"Aire."
Aire remained silent.
Madam softened slightly. "You need to eat sothing too."
Still , Aire gave her nothing. She was so tired of all these vipers dressing up as empath.
One of the maids nervously stepped closer with fresh cloth.
Aire looked at her once, and the poor girl froze instantly.
Aire almost laughed. Thw fear was everywhere.
The maid carefully avoided touching her directly while setting the cloth down nearby before retreating imdiately.
Aire watched the movent quietly. To Aire, this was interesting. They feared her powers, yet still looked at her like she might break at any second too.
Madam dipped one of the cloths into warm water before kneeling carefully near her.
"At least let clean the wounds on your wrists."
Aire’s expression hardened imdiately.
"You are angry with too." Madam noted.
Aire finally spoke quietly. "Shouldn’t I be?"
Madam’s hand paused briefly.
The room grew heavier afterward.
The younger maids pretended not to hear.
Madam resud gently cleaning the redness around Aire’s skin. "I never wanted this to happen."
"But it did."
Madam lowered her eyes briefly.
Aire stared ahead blankly again afterward.
The silence that followed stretched painfully long.
The maids eventually helped dress her carefully after Aire had taken her bath herself, dried her hair, and did everything that was to be done, herself.
She simply needed help with her corset.
None of them spoke more than necessary and their movents stayed cautious around her.
Aire every second of it.
The dress they placed her in was soft and pale, but it still felt like dressing a corpse for burial.
Aire remained completely silent through all of it.
By the ti Madam finished brushing her hair, the room had fallen into complete silence again.
Madam finally stepped back.
"There," she said softly.
Aire didn’t respond.
One of the younger maids gathered the used clothes and sheets carefully while avoiding direct eye contact again.
The second moved toward the door quickly.
Madam looked at Aire one last ti. They had changed the sheets, and she had seen the mating blood on the sheets. It disturbed her.
A knowing glint flickered briefly across her expression.
Quietly, she said, "Try to rest."
Aire turned her face toward the window instead in dismissal.
Madam understood imdiately.
A quiet sigh escaped her before she finally guided the maids outside.
The chamber doors closed softly behind them, and silence returned to the chamber again.
Aire remained motionless for several seconds afterward.
Then slowly, she curled slightly into herself on the edge of the bed. She was tired. Soul deep tired.
Everything feel distant, and hope feel embarrassing, even with Nate in the picture now.
Aire shut her eyes briefly.
A knock interrupted the silence again.
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